Almost no good research has been done into autism and sexual behaviour.
The existing research typically involves looking at
Young men...
with a low IQ...
in institutions...
...or really small groups where the data is meaningless.
And the data is often acquired by asking their parents or carers about their sexual interests. Not the people themselves, of course. That would be too obvious. Naturally, all the parents and carers would know everything about a person's preferences, wouldn't they...or would they? Did your parents know everything about you? Do they now, if they are still alive?
Yes, I used bold for a bit of that, because it's pretty shocking. It is, isn't it.
There is no good data on people over the age of 39
There is no good data on females.
There is no good data on the vast majority who have an IQ in the normal or higher range.
I'm not making this up.
I've spent six hours, as a professional, reviewing the modern data we have, and that, frankly, is the best of it.
What it did reveal is something far more interesting.
Just one example: In the general non-autistic population, some 60% of males would like to be a voyeur, and 50% actually have. Just under 10% have a serious problem with this behaviour, in fact. I bet you didn't know that. You do now.
In the autistic population, the figure is much smaller. In the biggest study, only 13% were involved with voyeurism, not 50%.
In fact, in the autistic populations, the modern figures for 'problematic sexual behaviour' are lower than all the figures for the non-autistic populations
I, for one, am rather unimpressed with a small number of non-autistic professionals. The few who assert that autistic people are more likely to be 'perverts' or sexual criminals. We are, by the look of it, less likely to be so, compared to anyone else in the neighbourhood. Not a jot of sexual crime from females on the autism spectrum, as far as 150 research papers (and counting...) reveal thus far.
We don't have usable modern data at the moment for the vast majority of autistic people. Those with a higher IQ than 70. Those who are female or with a different gender identity. Those who are older than 39. Nothing. We know nothing about those massive groups. Do we think that Mrs Bloggins, aged 67, is likely to be shinning up a ladder and peering in through the windows of her next door neighbour's bedroom before heading off for the office? What of Mrs Puddlemore; is she at age 50 leaping about the streets in a rude display of sexualised behaviour before going to Mother's Union? I hardly think so.
The notion that all autistic people are young men with a low IQ and alarming behaviours really has to stop. Only some 1.6% of the two million autistic people in the UK are in care home settings. You did know there's two million autistic people in the UK, yes? 1 in 30. USA national statistics, which one may assume also apply here. No it's not 1 in 45 there. Have another look. They haven't found the rest of the girls yet.
I'd suggest that almost 100% of our data thus far is based on that 1.6% in institutional settings, in the past..
So, my friends, if someone is trying to generalise about 'all autistic people' being more likely to do X, please give them a very hard stare. This is already a vulnerable population. We are already heavily targeted for violence, bullying and sexual abuse. The last thing we need is the population thinking we're more likely to be sexual perverts or predators. That would be highly irresponsible, I would say, as well as inaccurate. What a way to ensure exclusion and targeting.
Arguably, statistically, we'd do better to have autistic people teaching non-autistic ones how to behave, on sexual matters. Because the sexual behaviour of that big group of the general population is, statistically, pretty shocking. In fact, I might make myself a cup of extra strong tea...
Thank you.
